Erhalt und Instandsetzung mit einfachen Mitteln: Der südliche Rundturm der Roten Halle in Pergamon

Maintenance and restoration using simple assistive technology: The Southern round tower of the Red Hall in Pergamon

Pergamon, the ancient capital of the Pergamenean Empire near the western coast of Anatolia, has been one of the main archeological sites of the German Archeological Institute (DAI) in Turkey. In addition to the large ancient city layout and magnificent buildings on the castle hill, the Red Hall, a big complex built at the foot of the hill by Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century, represents another focus of research in the center of today's town of Bergama.
In 2006 the DAI implemented the restoration of the Red Hall's Southern round tower. The authors report about the project of securing and rebuilding the tower, as well as the rededication of its interior into an exhibition area of bigger and smaller archeological samples. Simple constructional and clear solutions were employed with the aim of maintaining the substance, including the use of customary materials and local workers. In Sept. 2009 the restorated round tower was opened to the public, representing a historically important evidence of the Eastern Roman empire. Restauration of a cross vault above a substructed cellar located in the Southern part of the site will be completed in the summer excavation campaign in 2013.